Dedicated to protecting the interests of residents and business owners in the City of Beaumont California by shedding light on local government and challenging our local officials to lead with integrity, transparency and accountability.

Lessons’ Learned & Tell All Your Friends: No Pensions for Corrupt Elected & Appointed Officials.

The City of Beaumont has finally released the Claim filed by former Risk Manager James Gregg. The Claim is for $1.5 Million. Gregg claims the City owes him a pension because CalPERS has denied Gregg’s Pension Claim based on the fact that it’s illegal to be the Risk Manager while also the Principal of ERMAC and profiting from the illegal acquisition of bonds.

The Claim tells Gregg’s version of how he came to be Beaumont’s Risk Manager and his RETIREMENT in 2015. Just like Kapanicas and Coe and the Law Firm of Aklufi Wysocki; retired, not fired.

Gregg states that his hiring was approved by the City Council and his salary was approved on every budget, so it’s the City’s fault that his employment was illegal, not the employee/lawyer/risk manager.

From James Gregg’s Claim: “Gregg continued his employment with the City based on his expected retirement benefits and forewent more lucrative job opportunities in reliance on his expected retirement benefits.”

What other opportunities were more ‘lucrative’ than receiving three revenue sources from one city?

Continued from James Gregg’s Claim: “On June 30, 2017 CalPERS sent Gregg a notice declaring that CalPERS had “preliminarily determined” that his appointment as the Risk Manger for the City on July 1, 2006, until June 30, 2015 was “invalid”.

“Gregg submitted a detailed response totally 15 pages and including nearly 800 pages of exhibits on or about July 19, 2017. Despite this response, on September 21, 2017, CalPERS sent Gregg a letter stating in part:

“We found that you were employed as a General Manager of ERMAC on July 1, 2006 and for the employment period extending until June 30, 2015, not as a common law employee for the City. Since ERMAC does not contract with CalPERS for retirement benefits, you are NOT eligible for membership into CalPERS for the reported above service period.”

So James Gregg is ‘fighting CalPERS’ for his pension – and it will be good for him, as a private citizen, to pull the money out of his own pocket to fight the government as so many Beaumont Citizens have done for the last 20 years.

II. Description of Indebtedness, Obligation, Injury, etc.

From James Gregg’s Claim: “As an employee of the City of Beaumont, the City should have brought action against CalPERS to defend the benefits the City promised to provide Gregg. Similarly, should it be determined that Gregg was not an employee of the City, the failure to ensure that Gregg was a proper employee would fall on the City, not on Gregg. Gregg bears no fault should it be determined that he is not eligible for membership into CalPERS. Instead, Gregg relied on the express promises and representations of both the City and ERMAC.”

Sure – it’s not the wolves fault the chickens open the henhouse door for them, it’s the citizens’ fault for allowing a corrupt government.

“In addition, should CalPERS deny Gregg’s appeal, the City would be responsible for the monetary value of Gregg’s retirement, which was an expressed inducement to begin employment with the City and was a clear component of his overall compensation package. Because of the above representations and failures, the City would be obligated for such compensation under the following theories, amongst others; breach of contract, promissory and equitable estoppel, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud in the inducement, negligence, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and impairment of contractual rights in violations of the Federal and State Constitutions.”

“Gregg hereby further asserts that he would be entitled to costs and attorney’s fees arising from any lawsuit filed against the City.”

In summary; $400 Million was embezzled out of the City of Beaumont and these Crooks are now broke and begging for Taxpayer money because they have no other means of support – they spent their lives stealing from the Taxpayer instead of doing honest work for an honest wage.

Gregg never claims that any money was removed from his check to pay for his CalPERS’ pension, only that he was promised a pension. Beaumont’s pension debt is $13 Million. In 2011 the City didn’t pay in any pension for the entire year – all the money was stolen.

And who filed a Complaint against James Gregg that got his CalPERS Pension denied?

Yes, it was me. Libi’s a mean girl that’s going to secure the pensions of honest government employees by cutting off the dirty employees’ pensions.

And what’s the policy of CalPERS?

Cut off the pension first and let the crooks hire a lawyer and fight their government to get their pensions.